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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29725743">Time and Again</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacquelee/pseuds/jacquelee'>jacquelee</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Star Trek Waverider [10]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Star Trek Fusion, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:33:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,943</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29725743</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacquelee/pseuds/jacquelee</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When the crew of the Waverider investigates a devastating explosion that destroyed all life on a planet, Sara and Charlie get trapped in the past and need to find a way back before it's too late. </p><p>Based on the Star Trek Voyager episode Time and Again.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Charlie &amp; Sara Lance, Nora Darhk &amp; Ava Sharpe, Sara Lance &amp; Ava Sharpe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Star Trek Waverider [10]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1887892</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Ladies Bingo 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Time and Again</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for <a href="http://ladiesbingo.dreamwidth.org">ladiesbingo</a> for the prompt Civilization.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The shockwave had been felt throughout the entire ship. Investigating it, the crew of the Waverider found a planet with a high concentration of differently charged polaric ions, suggesting a massive explosion. Scanning the planet, Mona realized with a heavy heart that it had been inhabited before the devastation.</p><p>"Captain, I can make out aqueducts and artificial structures on the surface, suggesting the existence of a civilization."</p><p>"Life signs?"</p><p>"None." Wanting to give at least a little bit of hope while everyone looked out at the destruction, Mona added: "But the polaric ion radiation might be interfering with sensors."</p><p>They all knew that was most likely not the case, not if there had really been an explosion of the size that the residual radiation suggested. </p><p>Sara was about to put an away team together to investigate, when Nora entered the bridge. Ava moved towards her, frowning.</p><p>"Is everything okay? What are you doing here?"</p><p>"I had to see it for myself."</p><p>"See what?"</p><p>"There was an explosion. A massive explosion. I felt it. I saw it. All the people on that planet, they all died."</p><p>Everyone on the bridge was now paying attention to their conversation and Sara moved a little closer towards them.</p><p>"What do you mean, you saw it?"</p><p>"I don't know. I just… I don't know."</p><p>Nora's powers were not as scary for herself and everyone else anymore as they had been at the beginning, but she was far from understanding them completely and Sara knew that. Exchanging a look with Ava, she nodded, making her decision.</p><p>"Alright, Ava, Charlie, with me." She tapped her communicator. "Zari, meet us in the transporter room." She moved towards the turbolift, Charlie walking next to her. When she got to Nora, she stopped. "If you feel up to it, you can come with us. Maybe you can help us find out what happened here."</p><p>Nora nodded and followed the others to the transporter room. </p><p>Down on the planet, the feelings she had, the remnants of people living here, being happy and then all of that being swept away in a moment intensified. While the others talked about how polaric ion energy, which the inhabitants of the planet had apparently been using as energy source, had been responsible for the explosion, she just walked around in the ruins, feeling like she was intruding on the graves of people whose last moments she could still feel somewhere deep inside her. </p><p>Charlie found a timepiece and was looking at it, realizing that it must have stopped at the moment of the explosion. The numbers read 401-22-84. When she turned around, instead of the others exploring the ruins, she saw the square completely pristine, in sunlight, with people walking around and children playing. She looked around and suddenly, she was back in the ruins.</p><p>"What the hell was that?"</p><p>Everyone turned around to her, looking at her questioningly. She started explaining what she had seen when it suddenly happened again, this time even longer. When she came back to the ruins, Sara's hand was on her shoulder and she looked at her frowning. Zari came over to scan her with the tricorder while Charlie explained what she had seen. When Zari noticed that Charlie's central nervous system showed signs of time travel, she started scanning for subspace fractures, finding many around. </p><p>"The chain reaction has shattered subspace. There are subspace fractures floating around here everywhere. We can predict them but I would recommend that we return to the Waverider before one of us gets stuck in one of the fractures."</p><p>Sara nodded, aware of the severity of the situation.</p><p>"I want everyone to stay exactly where they are." She tapped her communicator. "Away team to Voyager. Four to beam-"</p><p>Before she could continue the sentence, she suddenly was surrounded by laughter and warm sunlight. The ruins and her team were gone, there was a square with people on it. And Charlie, standing right next to her. </p><p>"Captain. We must be in the past. Before the explosion."</p><p>"I guess hoping that this is as short as your other trips is futile by now." She turned around, noting that they were starting to attract attention, even when thankfully nobody seemed to have seen them appearing out of thin air. "We need to blend in and then find a way back." </p><p>Charlie nodded and followed Sara to a clothing store where they traded Sara's uniform and Charlie's outfit for something more local. While chatting with the clothing store clerk, they managed to talk their way out of inconvenient questions by affirming that they've come from a far away province, the Kalto province, on the continental transport that morning. </p><p>When they stepped out of the store again, a timepiece in another shop's window caught Charlie's attention. She went over and the shopkeeper explained to her what the numbers meant, even though she clearly only barely bought Charlie's explanation that timepieces worked differently in the Kalto province. Charlie returned to Sara's side.</p><p>"If I understood correctly, the planet will be destroyed some time tomorrow. So what now?"</p><p>"Now we hope that the others will find a way to use those subspace fractures to find us. I'll set my communicator to emit a subspace signal. And maybe, if we find out where those polaric ion conduits lead, we can find a polaric generator that helps us scan for fractures, maybe even open one to get back ourselves." </p><p>She went closer to one of the conduits, hoping that they could find a way back. </p><p>---</p><p>On the Waverider, Ava tried to understand what Zari and Mona explained about polaric ion energy and subspace fractures, giving everyone devices that would repel any of those fractures when they were back on the planet, so that no one else would get stuck, but the only thing she was truly interested in was to find a way to get Sara and Charlie back. Thankfully, the crew was highly motivated too and they had been able to build a polaric generator that could open a subspace fracture to hopefully the right point in time. </p><p>That was where Nora came in. Ava hoped that she could find a way to point them to the right place, maybe even communicate across subspace. But when they met in the transporter room, Nora seemed nervous, insecure. Ava smiled at her encouragingly.</p><p>"Hey, it will be okay, we'll find them."</p><p>"I hope so. I'm so sorry that I couldn't warn them, I should have…"</p><p>She trailed off and Ava put her hand on her shoulder in a supportive gesture. </p><p>"You couldn't have known. There was nothing you could do. And you're the only one who can possibly help us now, I'd say that's worth a lot."</p><p>Nora smiled at her, thankful for the support.</p><p>After they beamed down to the planet, they set up their equipment in the place where they had last seen Sara and Charlie, but when they were reading a subspace signal, they went towards where that signal was coming from, finding two broken communicators. </p><p>"They were caught in the explosion."</p><p>"Their communicators were. It's too early to make any other assumptions." </p><p>Ava didn't know who she was trying to reassure, the others or herself, but at this point, it didn't even matter. She had to hang on to hope. They set up the equipment, knowing that their missing friends had been here. </p><p>---</p><p>Sara and Charlie had found the source of the polaric energy, a power plant, but there was a complication in form of a demonstration outside of it, a demonstration that they both could see was only moments away from turning violent.</p><p>"Normally I'd say we come back tomorrow."</p><p>Raising her eyebrows, Sara tried to find a way to get into the plant without getting caught up in the demonstration when suddenly one of the guards opened fire, just up into the air but it still caused a panic and Charlie and Sara were overrun by the demonstrators, trying to not get trampled. In the ensuing chaos, one of the guards was swinging his rifle at everyone in his vicinity and Sara was in the wrong place at the wrong time, taking a bad hit over the head, losing her footing and stumbling to the ground. </p><p>Charlie tried to help her up but two of the demonstrators were faster and helped lead them away. Sara nodded at her, considering it more dangerous to resist at the moment, so they went with them to what had to be some kind of shelter where Charlie tended to Sara's wound with material she was given. After some time they were confronted by the demonstrators.</p><p>"I'm Gilly, that's Declan. What were you doing at the power plant?"</p><p>"We are from Kalto province. We just wanted to look at the plant, do some sightseeing, you know?"</p><p>It was pretty obvious that they were not buying it.</p><p>"You know, Declan here thinks that you've been sent by the government to infiltrate us."</p><p>Charlie bristled.</p><p>"That's rubbish! You were there when she got this." </p><p>She pointed at Sara's head wound.</p><p>"Maybe you were told to put up a good show."</p><p>Charlie scoffed, but Sara stood up and put her hand on her shoulder.</p><p>"How about we just leave? Even if we were sent to infiltrate your group, it didn't work, so, no harm done."</p><p>Gilly laughed, but it wasn't a very humorous sound.</p><p>"Oh no, not so fast. Who the hell knows what you picked up." She turned around towards the others. "We need to pick up the timetable. Next week isn't fast enough, we need to go tomorrow."</p><p>"What?"</p><p>Sara and Charlie shared a look, both realizing at the same time that whatever this group had been planning to do to a polaric ion power plant being accelerated to occur at the exact time of the explosion was not a good thing. At all.</p><p>"This doesn't concern you. We'll find you a nice place where you can spend the night and then you can help us into the power plant tomorrow. How about that?"</p><p>"No."</p><p>"Excuse me?"</p><p>"Whatever you are planning, it's going to have a catastrophic effect on this planet. I don't know how but it will destroy everything, by tomorrow." </p><p>"Yeah, sure."</p><p>Gilly waved two of her people over to lead them away but Charlie jumped in, realizing what Sara was trying to do.</p><p>"When were you planning to leave?"</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"Tomorrow, when were you planning to leave? Let me guess, sometime right before 401?"</p><p>"Lucky guess."</p><p>Sara took up the thread again, nodding at Charlie.</p><p>"Not so much. We're from the future. I'm Captain of an interstellar ship. We've been investigating an explosion that had devastated an entire planet. This planet. And then we got stuck here, in the past, right were that explosion had originated. Don't you see? You changed the timetable because of us. Something will happen tomorrow, maybe you weren't ready, maybe you'll be sloppy, but something will go wrong, and this entire planet will be destroyed."</p><p>Charlie thought that maybe for a second Gilly and the others were inclined to listen to Sara, but in that moment, her communicator came to life with Ava's voice asking if they could hear her and the chance was lost. Declan ripped the communicators away from them, stashing them in a bag with their phasers and tricorders and they were led to a small room where they were locked in.</p><p>"Well, we tried."</p><p>"Yeah. We need to try harder, because if we don't, it'll be our fault that this planet is destroyed."</p><p>---</p><p>After the attempt to contact the Captain and Charlie failed, the team decided to set up where the subspace fractures were still numerous, at the focal point of the explosion. Nora led them there, feeling Sara's presence. Standing in the middle of what had been a power plant before, Nora nodded.</p><p>"She was here." Shivering, she added: "This is where she died."</p><p>Ava took a deep breath, trying not to let that sentence affect her too much. </p><p>"Okay, let's set up the equipment. We can do this. Set it right before the explosion."</p><p>---</p><p>The next day, Sara and Charlie were unceremoniously led towards the power plant, without anybody listening to even a word they were saying. One of their captors stayed back with Charlie and told Sara to get them inside the plant, which she refused to do. Maybe if she could stop them from getting in, they could still save the planet. </p><p>But when she announced to the guard that she was a hostage and her captors were terrorists planning to attack the plant, all hell broke loose. </p><p>Multiple guards were shot, as was Charlie. In the chaos, Gilly and Declan and one other protester managed to enter the plant, but Sara was too busy trying to tend to Charlie's wound to be able to do anything about it.</p><p>"I'm fine, I'm good. Go after them. You need to stop them."</p><p>"I will. But first we need to get you out of here."</p><p>Sara helped Charlie to a stretch of grass next to the power plant where she could lie at least a little more comfortably. Charlie nodded at her, urging her to go.</p><p>"Good luck!"</p><p>Sara nodded back and hurried back into the plant with a weapon she had taken from one of the guards.</p><p>When she found the group tinkering with one of the polaric conduits, she pointed the weapon at them.</p><p>"Stop what you're doing, right now."</p><p>Gilly turned around, smiling at her. Sara noticed that the bag with what they had confiscated from her and Charlie was lying next to the group.</p><p>"What do you think we're doing? Oh, wait, right, we're causing the planet to blow up. Believe me, we're not that stupid. But firing that weapon near a polaric conduit, that might just do the trick, so I would advice against that."</p><p>Sara scoffed.</p><p>"Well then, I'd say you better listen to me and stop whatever you were planning to do."</p><p>"Or what?"</p><p>Gilly crossed her arms and it was clear that she had no intention in stopping. Sara sighed.</p><p>"What time is it?"</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"The time, the exact time?"</p><p>Gilly looked at Declan, who shrugged and took a timepiece out of his bag. </p><p>"402 rotations plus 21."</p><p>"Alright, we'll wait until 23."</p><p>"What happens at 23? Let me guess, that horrible explosion. Right. Okay, let's just wait."</p><p>---</p><p>Everything was set up and they were ready to open a subspace fracture right by the center of the explosion.</p><p>Ava was standing by Nora, comforting her. She knew feeling Sara die must have been hard for her, she didn't even want to imagine having to feel that.</p><p>"Commander?"</p><p>Zari looked over to Ava, waiting for the order. Ava nodded. </p><p>"Let's bring them back."</p><p>---</p><p>Sara still kept staring at Gilly, who just stoically stared back when suddenly, a subspace fracture opened behind them, widening right by the polaric conduits. </p><p>Gilly's eyes widened.</p><p>"What the hell is that? If that is cutting through the conduit wall…"</p><p>She clearly realized what that would mean, and in that moment, Sara did too.</p><p>"Oh my god. Our own rescue attempt. That's what causes the explosion." She turned to Gilly, the weapon forgotten by her side, urgently pointing at her bag. "Give me the bag. There's a weapon in there that can close the fracture. I can stop this."</p><p>No matter how suspicious Gilly was, she realized the urgency of the situation and didn't hesitate grabbing the bag and throwing it to Sara, who immediately took one of the phasers out, set it to maximum and fired directly at the fracture, continuously. She only hoped it would be enough. </p><p>The longer she fired at it, the smaller the fracture became and eventually, it closed completely.</p><p>In that moment, everything changed.</p><p>---</p><p>Nora woke up with a start. She felt like something horrible had happened, something catastrophic. But she didn't know where or how. It hadn't been a dream, not really and she needed to make sure, needed to know. So she dressed quickly and went to the bridge, where everything seemed to be completely normal. Ava noticed her first, moving towards her a little.</p><p>"Nora? Is everything okay?"</p><p>"I saw them. I saw them die, all of them. Something horrible happened here, on this planet."</p><p>Nora's plight had gotten the attention of the others on the bridge. Sara had gotten up from her chair, coming closer to Nora and Ava.</p><p>"The planet we just saw on the sensors? Commander, is there any sign of trouble on it?"</p><p>Ava smiled reassuringly at Nora and turned to her controls.</p><p>"Negative. Everything seems to be in order. There's a thriving civilization down there, but no satellite system and no signs of space flight. Clearly pre-warp."</p><p>Sara nodded at her and turned to Nora.</p><p>"Which means we're not interfering in their affairs, as per our prime directive."</p><p>"Can I see it?"</p><p>Nora was still shaken by the dream or whatever it was and needed tangible proof that everything was okay.</p><p>"Of course. On the view screen."</p><p>An M-class planet that looked very much not like the pile of ashes she had just seen appeared on the screen. She took a deep breath and then smiled at the Captain.</p><p>"Thank you."</p><p>"Absolutely. Maybe you want to step by the med bay? See if everything is okay?"</p><p>"I don't think that's necessary. I'll just go back to sleep. Thank you again."</p><p>She smiled at Sara and then at Ava and went back to her quarters.</p><p>Whatever it was she had seen, she was glad it hadn't been real.</p>
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